Keith Battle - A House of Pain - Part 2

I’ve given this passage, or this series, the subject «A House of Pain.» So, I started this last week, and today is «A House of Pain, Part Two.» If you’re joining us for the first time and missed Part One, you will not be in an uncomfortable position because the content today is pretty much stand-alone. Wherever there needs to be a bridge between what I covered before and what I’m talking about now, I will make sure I connect the dots for you. If you ever want to go back and see Part One, you can do that at any time; just go to one of our platforms, and you can check it out.

As I mentioned last week, I titled this message «A House of Pain» because of all the pain that is compressed within this pericope of scripture. It contains only five sentences, yet you find pain throughout the context and the text itself. For example, the passage talks about Jabez’s mother experiencing pain when she gave birth to him (verse nine). As a result of that pain, she named her child Jabez, which means «pain maker,» «sorrow maker,» or «pain causer.» Then, when we look at Jabez’s prayer in verse ten, part of his prayer was, «Lord, please keep me from all trouble and pain.» I call the place where he grew up a «House of Pain» because it is evident that there was pain in that place.

I don’t do this to discriminate against him. Let me press into that point: I did not call this series «The House of Pain» because it was exclusive or unique to him. I call it «A House of Pain» because I am trying to make sure that we understand that Jabez is representative of the pain we all experience. All of us have lived in a house of pain. Our pain may be similar to Jabez’s, or it may be totally distinct and different, but one thing we have in common is that we all know what it’s like to live in pain.

The amazing thing is that when you look at the trajectory of Jabez’s life, he rose from the ashes of such dysfunction to become prominent in his life, excelling even beyond his siblings. He became a man of wealth and means, with God’s hand upon him, protected from trouble, and he stayed out of trouble. All of these blessings were on his life against the backdrop of where he came from. It’s a reminder that some of the finest people in this world emerge from the most unenviable circumstances.

Do you understand what I’m saying? Out of the ashes, they rise into prominence and significance. I believe there is an inextricable connection between pain and prosperity. I don’t think you can have one without the other. You will encounter trouble before experiencing triumph; you will face adversity before encountering advancement. Hell may invade your life before you reach new heights—it’s part of the territory. It comes with being a human being and is part of the process.

In light of this story, we can be inspired by Jabez’s experience. I want to highlight four things from this passage before we return to our various activities. You can grab some lemon pepper wings and get ready for the All-Star game. By the way, Wegmans, if you’re watching, you owe me some wings because a lot of people went and got wings after I suggested it. So if anyone from Wegmans is listening, please send me some wings!

The first thing I want to point out in this passage—my first point is really a question: What do you do, my brothers and sisters, when the people you have caused pain for will not let go of the pain you caused them? What do you do when people won’t let go of the pain you caused them?

See, the reality is that we have all experienced pain in life, but here’s the other truth: we have all caused it, too. We are not always victims; sometimes we are culprits. You may have hurt someone and caused them pain, whether intentional or unintentional. You may have asked for forgiveness and apologized for what you did, but for whatever reason, they will remind you of it perpetually. What do you do when people won’t let go of what you did?

Let’s take a closer look at this passage because I think there is a message and a lesson about this very issue. Now, go to verse nine for a second, and I want you to see something. There is something about this mother and her feelings about Jabez that I think can be overlooked if we read this passage too quickly.